Firewood rack



June y'8, 1965 w.G.w|LsoN 3,187,901

FIREWOOD RACK Filed Jan. 14. 1963 INVENTOR W/'LL/s- G. W/Lsou l w 3,187,901 FIREWOOD RACK Willie G. Wilson, Eox1673, Oklahoma City 1, (ikla.

Filed Jau. 14, 1963, Ser. No; 251,429

1 Claim.` (Cl. 2114+60) Y izing nesting and hiding places tor rodents and the like.`

y United A States Patent O It is desirable for a firewood rack to be strong and rugged in construction for a long service life with a minimum of maintenance. In order that the rack may easily store a suicient quantity of firewood, it is also desirable that a firewood rack be portable, not in the sense of normally eing carriedabout, but in the `sense that it may easily be carried to Ia site where it is to .be erected. lf a firewood rack large enough for storing -a desirable quanti-ty of fire- `wood were to be completely constructed in a shop prior to transport-ation tothe desired location, Ia problem of ease and cost of transporting such a large and awkward structure would be created. Accordingly, the desiredfirewood rack should be easily and economically constructed of readily obtainable materials which are light in weight with respect t-o strength. i

The present invention contemplates an improved firewood rack, utilizing in its construction, tubular members which are strong and rugged in strength, but which have a low weight in relation to strength. The elements compris ing the firewood rack are preferably pre-'fabricated in a' shop. and then .tnansported to a site where the novel rack may be easily assembled in a short period of time by workers havif g a minimum of skill.

The presmt invention may Ibe defined as a firewood rack which comprises a pairV of spaced, parallel tubular members which are separable at a median point into first and :second portions.v A suitable coupling means is carried by each tubular member for precluding an undesired separation thereof. Each tubular member is provided at each end with a vertically disposed tubular cornerpost having an upwardly directed opening in the upper end thereof. Each of the tubular members is .also provided with a pair Other. objects Vand advantages of the invention will be evident vfrom the yfollowing detailed description, when read in conjunction with ,thel accompanying drawings, which illustrated the invention. In the drawings: i

FIG. l is a perspective View, illustratinga firewood rack constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. `i

FIG. 2 is a partial side elevational View of the firewood rack 4shown in FlG. 1. i

FIG. 3 is a partial end view ofthe firewood rackshown in FIG. l.

FIG. 4 is a side View illustrating one coupling means whi-ch may be used with lthis invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged end view of the coupling means shown in vFIG. 4. l

-F IG. 6 is a side view illustrating another coupling which may also beV used with this invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and particularly FlG. 1, Ireference character 1i) designatesa novel firewood rackcon-structed in accordance with this invention -and which includes a pair of spaced, separable, generally tubular ybase members 12. Each tubular base member 12 is separable at a median point 1d into first and second portions 16 and 1S, respectively. By way of example, the median point 14 is illustrated as being the bisector of the tubular member 12, but the invention is not limited to that specific separation point. p

=A vertically disposed lcornerpost yor supporting legs 2li, having an upwardly directed opening 22, in the upper end thereof, is secured to` each end `of each tubular base member 12. A plurality of downwardly extending supporting legsormembers 2d are secured to the base member 12 and spaced inwardly of the cornerpost 20. In thek embodiment Vof this invention shown in thedr-awing, a pair n of supporting legs 24 is carried by each bas-e member 12 with the median point `l-/l appearingtherebetween. The

l legs 24 provide ,an intermediate support for the members "12 to preclude bending 4of the ymembers 12 sin-ce the weight desired separation of each tubular member 12. yThis may take the form, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, of a first channel shaped member 26 having a pair of downwardly dei pending, particularly congured legs 28 and being .dis-

of downwardly `extending supporting legs which are car- Y* ried intermedi-ately of said cornerposts `and oneither side of the median point. A pair of inverted U-shaped` memyadapteclto be removably positioned in the openings of said oornerposts at adjacent ends of base members provide vertical retaining means Jrior the logs of firewood which are stacked transversely to the longitudinally extending base members. A cross bar is horizontally secured to the lower portions of the legs of each U-shaped member for l easily assembled firewood rack which may be constructedA from readily obtainable materials. p p

Still another object of this invention is to provide a rewood rack which may be prefabricated in one location and transported t-o a desired site where it may be quickly i and easily assembled with labor having a minimum of skill. i

bers, each having a'pairV of downwardly extending legs posed longitudinally within a tubular member 1.2 at the median separation 14. A second channel shaped member 30 having a pair of upwardly extending complementarily configured legs 32 islongitudinally disposed `within l,a tubular member 12 adjacent to the median separation 14. v The legs 28 of member 26 and legs32 of member v3l) cooperate to precludeV relative movement therebe- 26 and 30 are spread apart and urgedinto contact with the first'portion 16 and the second portion 18 of the tubular member 12v thereby providing a friction coupling means which precludes separation of said portions.

Another coupling means 39 which may be utilized with this invention is shown in FIG. 6. An end portion of the first portion 16 of the tubular member 12 which is opposite to the end secured to a cornerpost 20 is expanded to provide a socket 40 having an inner diameter approximatelythe same as the outer diameter of the second portion 1S of the tubular member 12. It will be apparent that the second portion 1S may be press fitted into the 3 Y .Y i open socket 40-thereby providing an efficient riction coupling means for the tubular member 12.

A means for increasing the effective height to which rewood may be stacked in the rack l is providedfby a vertical retaining means in the illustrated embodiment. This means'take's the form of a pair of U-shaped end members 42 eachhaving a pair of spaced parallel tubular extending iegs 44. The lower ends of the downwardly extending legs 44 are removably positioned withinxthe upwardly directed openings 22 of the cornerpost 20. A horizontally disposedcrossbar or member 46 is transversely secured to the Vlower portions of the legs 44 in a suitable manner such as by welding or the like. The crossbar 46 engages the upper `face or lupper end 47 Yof each corner- Ipost 20 thereby limiting the extension of each leg 44 into the opening Y2K2 in the cornerpost 20.

' `With respect teleconomy, `it ywill be seen that the tubular base members 12, the cornerposts 2i), the supporting legs 24, and the end members 42 are constructed vout of readily obtainable tubular goods and are secured together in asuitable mannersuch as described. The firewood rack 1,0 may be Prefabricated .by connecting, by welding or'rthe like, the cornerposts 20 and the supporting legs 24 to the first and second portions Y16 and 18 of the tubular members l2. Each crossbar 46 is transversely secured fto the lower portions of the legs '44 orr each end membei' 42 for a strengthening of the end member 42 and for lsetting the correct distance between the legs 44. The

foregoing elements of the rack li) may then be easily transported to a desircdlocation for erection.

The rack is erected by -securing the first and second portions lr6V and 18 of each tubular member 12 together by a suitable coupling means 25 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The base members (12 are then spaced apart a predetermined'distance in a parallel spatial relationship. The end members 42 are then arranged so that the downwardly extending Ilegs 44 thereof are removably positioned in upwardly directed openings 22 of adjacentcornersposts 20 of the base members 12.

In use it will be seen, as shown in FIG. l, that la plurality of logs of rewood generally designated by reference character 48 may be placed on the firewood rack llt) so .that they extend transversely across the base members l2.

The iirewood may be stacked Vto any desired height sinceV the upwardly extending end members 42 provide a strong retainingrmcans at each end of the tubular members 12.V

In one embodiment of this invention, the rack 1? may be suitably dimensioned to receive one .rick of firewood Thus, a person may determine whether he has received a full rick of firewood when he has ordered the same from a dealer in firewood and the like.

Fromthe foregoing, it will bev apparentthat the present invention provides, a novel firewood rack which will provide storage for a substantial quantity of firewood logs. This rack may be economically prefabricated from readily obtainable materials and easily transported to a desired location where Vit may be easily constructed by labor having minimum skill. 'Also, this iirewood `raclcalt-hough light in weight is vstrong andrugged in construction. Finally it will be apparent that the present'nvention provides a novel irewood. rack that iS. Simply and @QOIlOmiCaHY GQ11- structed and which has along service life with a minimum closed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claim.

A rack for storing rewood and the like comprising:

a pair of spaced parallel elongatedbase members which are separable at a median point, each Abase/member having a cornerpost vertically secured to either end;

each of said cornerposts-having an upwardly directed opening in the Vupperend thereof;

coupling means precluding separation of said base members, said coupling means including a `first channel shaped member longitudinally positioned within each tubular member at said median point, said first channel shaped member f having two spaced particularly'conigured legs,

a second channel shaped member longitudinally rpositioned within said tubular member at said median point, said second channel shaped member having legs congured complementary to those of said iirst channel shaped member and cooperating therewith to preclude relative longitudinal movement between said lirst and sccond channel shaped members, and

a threaded bolt extending through each tubular member and said first channel shaped members Vinto contact with the second channel shaped vmembers so that the first and second channel shaped members may be urged apart to provide a friction coupling between the first and second portions of each tubular member; each of said base members having a pair of spaced downwardly extending supporting legs secured thereto; Y a

a pair of inverted U-shaped end members, each having a pair of spaced parallel downwardly depending legs adapted to extend into the openings of the cornerposts at adjacentends of the base members; and,

. a pair of. cross bars, each being horizont-ally secured to the lower portions lof the Ilegs of each U-shaped member for limiting the extension of said legs into the openings of said cornerpos'ts.

References Cited by the Examiner QLAUDE AQ ROY, Primary Examined 

